Tiny T-Rex species discovered in Arctic

Tyrannosaurus rex was one of the largest carnivores to ever walk the Earth, but paleontologists have just unearthed its smaller cousin in Alaska. This new species of dinosaur, dubbed Nanuqsaurus hoglundi (polar bear lizard), stood no taller than the average human male. That makes it no less fearsome, though.

Nanuqsaurus hoglundi was less than half the size of its more famous cousin, but both are part of the same taxonomic family (Tyrannosauridae). Researchers believe it stalked the plains 70 million years ago existing mainly as an apex predator, whereas the T-Rex is now thought to have been an opportunistic carnivore that scavenged as well as hunted.

This scaled-down Tyrannosaurus was roughly the same size as another arctic carnivore from the same era, the Troodon. Paleontologists are particularly excited by this fact because it indicates there may have been an evolutionarily ideal size for a predator in the ancient arctic.

Even though Nanuqsaurus hoglundi was named for a polar bear, modern day polar bears wouldn’t have cared much for Alaska 70 million years ago. The climate at the time was closer to what we associate with the northern US or southern Canada.

There are over 50 examples of T-Rex, found mostly in the southwest United States. However, the identification of Nanuqsaurus hoglundi is based on only a single animal. All scientists had to go on were four skull fragments. These pieces are sufficient to prove the skull was from an adult animal, not a juvenile of some larger Tyrannosaur species. The team was able to estimate skull size, and from that, the size of the animal itself. Since publication, more fragments have been discovered. Nearby fossils belonging to a horned dinosaur also showed evidence of tooth marks, which were likely made by N. hoglundi.

Paleontologists are still scouring the Alaskan tundra for more evidence of this tiny Tyrannosaur’s existence, but it will probably never be as famous as its cousin, the one and only lizard king.